5 reasons why the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is our favorite in 2026

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is designed primarily for gaming. And you can feel it immediately.

Thanks to the 3D V-Cache technology, AMD massively increases the available L3 cache memory. Result:

• Higher FPS
• Better frametimes stability
• Less micro-stutters
• Better management of CPU-bound games
• In competitive 1080p (CS2, Valorant, Warzone, Fortnite), it very often outperforms other high-end CPUs.
• Even in 1440p, it remains ultra solid.

If your goal is max FPS + minimal latency, it is clearly a reference.

Some examples of performance taken from techspot and pcgamesn :

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

AMD has understood something that many underestimated: In gaming, cache matters a lot .

3D V-Cache allows:

• To significantly increase the L3 cache
• To improve access to critical data
• To reduce back-and-forth trips to the RAM

In concrete terms, this means:

• Best performances in open-world games (RPG, sandbox)
• More stable FPS in the large Unreal Engine motors
• Less than RAM dependency ultra high frequency

That's what makes the difference between a good CPU... and a CPU that crushes gaming benchmarks. And that's especially what makes that AMD has surpassed Intel in gaming processors recently...

If you build a setup with an RTX 5070, 5080 or even 5090, you won't have any bottleneck issues. For high-end next-generation GPUs, the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a logical choice. Personally, our favorite combo for high-end is a RTX 5080 with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D. With this, you can play anything you want for a very long time...

Why?

• Because it avoids the CPU bottleneck in low and medium resolutions.
• It allows to fully exploit powerful graphics cards.

It's typically the CPU:

• For 240 Hz
• For 360 Hz (even if it may be overkill ahah)
• For smooth 1440p ultra
• For light streaming + gaming

Another strong point: the AM5 platform. You benefit:

• From DDR5 support
• From PCIe 5.0
• Of a durable socket

AMD has shown in the past that they keep their sockets for a long time. This means that your investment is not disposable in 1 year. If you come from an old Ryzen, the transition is logical. If you come from Intel, you switch to a platform that seems more stable over time. Indeed, if you buy a high-end motherboard, it will also be able to support the next generations of AMD processors , unlike Intel which changes regularly.

Let's not lie to ourselves: this is not a "budget" CPU. But compared to some even more expensive models that don't bring more FPS in games, it is extremely coherent. You pay for:

• From real FPS
• Not just useless multi-core in gaming
• An optimized architecture for your use

And that, in 2026, is exactly what we are looking for. It's THE favorite for gaming On the other hand, if you are more into video editing, it will do the job but an Intel will surely be more interesting.

If your goal is clear: to maximize gaming performance, the answer is yes. It is currently one of the most optimized processors for pure gaming even several months after its release. And as always, the real criterion remains the price.

On DropReference, you can follow:

• The evolution of prices
• The availabilities
• The best real-time offers

Because on this type of CPU, a few tens of euros make a difference. You often have good deals with nice promotions so stay alert! We put all the CPU stocks in your country below:

🔹 Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D better than a classic Ryzen 7?

In gaming, yes. Thanks to the 3D V-Cache, it often outperforms non-X3D versions in FPS.

🔹 Is it good for streaming?

Yes, but it is not a CPU oriented towards heavy productivity. For light gaming + streaming, it is perfect.

🔹 Is it DDR5 compatible?

Yes, it works on the AM5 platform with DDR5.

🔹 Is this the best AMD Ryzen 7 processor for gaming?

Currently, it is clearly one of the most powerful in gaming.